Research

Evaluating your sources and information can help you make better decisions on if and how you want to use your information. Finding relevant and accurate information can help you make further informed decisions in your paper, but also in life.

It is also important to evaluate your sources because some assignments may have limits or specifics on how many and what resources to use. For instance: using primary sources versus secondary sources, using a specific type of periodical, or maybe limiting internet sources.

• Primary Source
  • A first-person account by someone who experienced or witnessed an event. The original document has not been previously published or interpreted by anyone else.
• Secondary Source
  • One step removed from the primary original source. The author is reexamining, interpreting, and forming conclusions based on the information conveyed in the primary source.

Still need help evaluating sources? Check out Elmira College's C.A.R.S. Web Evaluation Checklist!